DOUBLE TAKE.

Mixed emotions on IRL promotions

August 08, 2005|By Dayton Daily News.

Plastered on a billboard just north of Cincinnati are images of three IndyCar drivers with the slogan "Catch Her If You Can." But Danica Patrick, most prominently featured, has yet to win a race. What about Dan Wheldon, who won the Indianapolis 500, then saw Sports Illustrated put the fourth-place finisher on its cover? "The one thing I would disagree with the IRL about is the fact that they are pushing Danica solely," he said Sunday. "That's a big mistake. Do you hear about Buddy Rice, the 2004 Indy 500 champion? Do you hear about my teammate, Tony Kanaan, the 2004 IndyCar Series champion? You just don't. I think everybody thought I would be [angry] that she was on the front of Sports Illustrated, but if I owned Sports Illustrated and I had 33 drivers and one was female who did a good job in the Indy 500 and was hot, I would put her on the front. So all credit to her. I think she's cute."